17 — Former Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde, 73, of cancer. She served in the Commons between 1993 and 2011, also served as a cabinet minister in the Parti Quebecois government of Rene Levesque in the 1980s.

FEBRUARY

1 — Charles Bury, 67, a longtime editor of the Sherbrooke Record and director of the Canadian Association of Journalists, of cancer.

4 — Canadian-born Keith Allen, 90, the first coach of the Philadelphia Flyers who became the general manager that built the organization's Stanley Cup championship teams of 1974 and 1975.

11 — Peter Desbarats, 80, a former journalist, author and commissioner of an inquiry into Canadian soldiers' misconduct in Somalia.

18 - Mavis Gallant, 91, the Montreal-born writer who carved out an international reputation as a master short-story author while living in Paris for much of her life.

18 — John Dafoe, 83, editorial editor of the Winnipeg Free Press (1992-97) and the grandson of a Canadian newspaper giant John Wesley Dafoe, after battling Parkinson's disease for several years.

22 — Shawn Waddell, 62, a longtime senior editor at The Canadian Press who was known for his irreverent sense of humour and encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects, after a battle with cancer.

25 — Angele Arsenault, 70, a Prince Edward Island native who gained fame with her French-language songs. She was an officer of the Order of Canada as well as belonging to the Order of Prince Edward Island.

MARCH

2 — Molly Lamb Bobak, 95, the first woman to be named a Canadian war artist.

10 — Noel Knockwood, 81, a spiritual leader in Nova Scotia known for his fierce dedication to Mi'kmaq culture.

10 — Former Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty, 64, a fixture on the world financial stage who stepped down in March to return to the private sector. He was credited with helping get Canada back on track to a balanced budget after pumping stimulus money into the economy following the 2008 financial crisis.

20 — Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, 76, the former American boxer who became a champion for the wrongfully convicted after spending almost 20 years in jail for a triple murder before the convictions were overturned. He died at his home in Toronto.

20 — Alistair MacLeod, 77, the Prairie-born author who won the 2001 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award with his only novel, "No Great Mischief." He had been in hospital since suffering a stroke in January.

21 — Herb Gray, 82, former deputy prime minister and one of Canada's longest-serving parliamentarians. His career in federal politics spanned nearly four decades, starting in Opposition to John Diefenbaker and sweeping to victory with Jean Chretien's third Liberal majority government in November 2000.

21 — Val Werier, 96, a Winnipeg journalist who wrote unrelentingly as a champion of the environment. He was honoured with both the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba.

25 — Dan Heap, 88, a former New Democrat MP and long-time social justice advocate. He suffered from Alzheimer's in recent years and died at a Toronto nursing home.

10 — Jeff Plewman, 66, the Toronto electric violinist and experimental musician who performed as Nash the Slash with his face enveloped in surgical bandages.

13 — Ron Stevens, 64, former longtime Alberta Tory cabinet minister. He quit politics in 2009 and was appointed a judge in the Court of Queen's Bench.

13 — Don Lawrie, 92, a longtime broadcaster and member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

14 — George T. Richardson, 89, the patriarch of what is considered Winnipeg's wealthiest and most prominent family. He was president of James Richardson and Sons Ltd., a company that excelled in agriculture, real estate, energy and financial services, from 1966-93.

15 — Robert Burns, 77, who was among the first Parti Quebecois members of the legislature.

21 — District of Port Hardy (B.C.) mayor Bev Parnham, 62.

21 — Lt.-Col. Dan Bobbitt, commanding officer of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based in Garrison Petawawa, Ont., when a light armoured vehicle rolled over during a training mission at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.

24 — Knowlton Nash, 86, a veteran CBC broadcaster best known as longtime anchor of The National. He had been battling Parkinson's for some years.

26 — Former golf executive Dick Grimm, 91, who was known as "Mr. Canadian Open" for his efforts to grow the game in Canada.

2 — Jim Keegstra, 80, a holocaust denier and former high school teacher in Eckville, Alta. He was convicted in 1985 of wilfully promoting hatred against an identifiable group but the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned the conviction until it was restored by the Supreme Court of Canada in late 1990.

4 — RCMP officers Douglas Larche, 40, Fabrice Gevaudan, 45, and Dave Ross, 32, killed in Moncton, N.B., after responding to a report of a man with firearms in a residential neighbourhood.

9 — British Columbia Judge Josiah Wood, 73, whose remarkable legal career was fuelled by his compassion for people who needed help, after a short bout with pancreatic cancer.

23 — Arch MacKenzie, 88, an inspiring journalist who oversaw the Ottawa bureau of The Canadian Press during some of the most tumultuous political events of the 1970s and 1980s. He kept active in retirement, serving as a judge for the Michener awards for public service journalism, and as an executive member of the board of the Michener Awards Foundation.

24 — Olga Kotelko, 95, one of Canada's most accomplished track and field athletes with dozens of world records and medals to her credit, after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage.

27 — Edmond Blanchard, 60, a former Federal Court judge and New Brunswick cabinet minister in the government of Frank McKenna in the 1990s, after a brief illness.

JULY

1 — Jean Garon, 76, one of the founders of the Parti Quebecois and a cabinet minister in Rene Levesque's government.

8 — Maxine Cochran, 87, Nova Scotia's first female cabinet minister. In 1985, she was appointed transport minister under then premier John Buchanan.

18 — Veteran broadcaster Clancy MacDonald of North Bay, Ont., at the age of 71.

22 — Hall of Fame sports broadcaster Bill Stephenson, 85, who spent several decades on Canadian radio and television.

AUGUST

4 — Toronto-born actor Walter Massey, 85, a veteran of the stage and screen and staunch supporter of performers' rights.

7 — Dick Collver, 78, former Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative leader who took over the party in 1973 when the party had no seats. He led the party to 17 seats and official Opposition status in the 1978 election, but stepped down as leader shortly afterwards.

12 — Purdy Crawford, 82, a lawyer and a businessman who once headed Montreal-based Imasco Ltd.

15 — B.C. Appeal Court Judge Richard Low, 74, following a stroke. He died while sitting as Canada's longest-serving federally appointed judge. He handled many high-profile cases and wrote the ruling that dismissed the appeal of serial killer Robert Pickton in 2009.

20 — Buddy MacMaster, 89, the beloved fiddler who sparked a renewed appreciation for traditional Cape Breton music and inspired a new generation of talent. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2001 when he was formally recognized with helping lead a Gaelic renaissance, both in Canada and abroad.

25 — Marcel Masse, 78, a longtime Quebec politician who served in the cabinet of Brian Mulroney.

31 — Carol Vadnais, 68, a former NHL defenceman and six-time all-star. He made his NHL debut in 1966-67 with his hometown Montreal Canadiens and went on to play 17 seasons with the California Golden Seals, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

SEPTEMBER

2 — Paul Robertson, 59, the executive vice-president and president of Shaw Media, from pancreatic cancer.

29 — Canadian skier Jean-Philippe Auclair, 37, in an avalanche while hiking in southern Chile. He was a freestyle pioneer who helped revolutionize the sport in its formative years before shifting to filmmaking and a focus on the more extreme side of the slopes.

20 — Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, 52, after being hit by a car driven by a jihadist sympathizer, who was later fatally shot by Quebec police after a brief chase.

22 — Reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, 24, while on sentry duty at the National War Memorial in Ottawa by a gunman who was later killed in a gunfight inside Parliament Hill's Centre Block.

25 — Veteran parliamentary reporter Mark Dunn, 53, of cancer. He worked for The Canadian Press in Toronto and Ottawa in the 1980s and 1990s before joining Sun Media. He later worked for the federal Liberals before returning to Sun Media.

26 — Rod Love, 61, who worked for many years behind the scenes for former Calgary mayor and Alberta premier Ralph Klein.

31 — Prominent businessman and former Calgary Stampeder John Forzani, 61, after suffering a heart attack in California. After he retired from football, he founded the Forzani Group, which began with a single sporting goods store in 1974 and grew to include Sport Chek among a number of other entities.

NOVEMBER

5 — Jaring Timmerman, 105, who set Masters World Records in both the 50-metre freestyle and 50-metre backstroke events.

6 — Pte. Steven Allen, 20, from injuries he suffered three days earlier when a lookout tower he was standing in collapsed at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.

8 — Archibald (Archie) Johnstone, 90, a retired P.E.I. senator and a businessman behind some of the province's most beloved attractions. After returning from the Second World War, he and his father established Woodleigh Replicas, a park that featured miniature reconstructions of famous landmarks in the United Kingdom.

22 — Merle Barwis, holder of Canada's oldest person title for nearly two years, at a residential care facility in Victoria just one month and one day shy of her 114th birthday.

26 — Former Montreal Canadiens forward Gilles Tremblay, 75, who won four Stanley Cups in the 1960s. Injuries forced him to retire in 1969 and went on to have a successful 30-year career as an analyst and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a broadcaster in 2002.

26 — Alex Van Bibber, 98, one of Yukon's last surviving aboriginal veterans from the Second World War. He was a member of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and hailed as a legendary outfitter, trapper and educator.

29 — Brian Macdonald, 86, a Tony Award-nominated choreographer and director who was considered a prolific pioneer in the dance, opera and theatre worlds.

Pallbearers and former teammates (left tor right) Dickie Moore, Jean-Guy Talbot, Phil Goyette, Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur and Serge Savard carry the casket of former Montreal Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau into his funeral service at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal, Wednesday, Dec.10, 2014.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

DECEMBER

2 — Beloved Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau, 83. The classy centre embodied all the attributes of their dynasty teams of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s — talent, flair, intelligence and success. He scored 507 goals, won 10 Stanley Cups and was captain for 10 seasons before his retirement in 1971. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

6 — Bruce Phillips, 84, former journalist and federal privacy commissioner, of kidney failure. He was invested in the Order of Canada in 2010.

8 — Vancouver-born actress-dancer Stephanie Moseley, 30, star of the VH1 drama series "Hit the Floor" about NBA cheerleaders, was shot and killed by her rapper-husband Earl Hayes, who then took his own life.

9 — Cliff Wright, 87, mayor of Saskatoon from 1976-88.

19 — Dick Thornton, who starred with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts, died after battling lung cancer. He was 75. The Chicago native, whose nickname was Tricky, won two Grey Cups with Winnipeg before being traded to Toronto in 1967. He helped the Argos reach the '71 Grey Cup game.

24 — Edward Greenspan, one of Canada's most prominent criminal lawyers. Greenspan represented a number of high-profile clients, including one-time media baron Conrad Black, former theatre mogul Garth Drabinsky and German financier Karlheinz Schreiber. He was 70.

OPINION A report has recently stated that the average cost of food will inflate near double its average annual rate. This does not include fresh produce and most animal proteins. The inflation for these products may t